Strawberry Jam

I didn't think it was going to happen this year.  The kitchen is still not completely put back together.  Other deadlines loom and the girls seem to be busier this summer than in years past.  My time is so limited these days.  But on a whim Sunday afternoon, I called the berry farm for Monday's hours.  When they said that if I wanted to pick today, I'd have to be in the field by 4:30, I took a quick look at my watch.  3:00.  If we left right away, we'd be there by 3:30....oh, why not?  We went.

After 40 minutes of picking, the girls and I had amassed three gallons (14 pounds!) of berries.  So on Monday (and Tuesday) I made what had seemed impossible possible.  The kitchen is messier than when I started, but it doesn't matter.  We'll all be happier for the mess because I was able to squeeze it in this year.

I made jam.

(Last year's jam post is filled with information on how I make my jam.  I wrote about strawberry jam in 2008, too.)

Comments

[Jess]

Hooray for Jam!!! We have a couple of more weeks here before it's berry-picking time.
I love seeing the jams from the warmer climes.

[darlene]

looks delicious!

[Grace]

I'm so glad you squeezed it in.

[Meg Evans]

I spent yesterday making jam, too. This time I made some freezer jam and some cooked jam. Picking the berries is one of my favorite summer traditions!

[Kerri]

Yum. Homemade strawberry jam?! How fantastic!

[kristyn]

Your post last year inspired me to try freezer jam for the first time. Thanks for that. So happy you were able to continue your tradition!

[Julie]

Yum! I've never made jam but this is on my to-do list this summer.

[Jennie]

Yay for jam. Sadly, I've never made my own. Each Spring I plan to, but then I miss the bulk strawberries at the farmer's market.

[Quilts by Q]

Makes me want to go out and make some jam. My 3 year old has just recently started to like jam so this is great. Farmer's markets here I come!

[minnesota:madre]

Yum. You'll be thankful for it for many meals to come. P.S. We made the GOOP shrimp tacos and they were a hit. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Krista]

Way to go! Nothing better than spur of the moment jam-making. The advance planning would likely kill the plan before it got started - at least it would here. Our berries are so delayed due to a month of rain. boohoo. We're stretching that last pot of blackberry from last year.

[Islay]

Well done! I went to pick a load today but I forgot to take my wallet to pay, so came away empty handed (luckily I realised before we picked 5lb of strawberries). Can't wait to go back next week and make JAM.

[leslie]

yay for a messy strawberry filled new kitchen!!!!

[Gena]

Oh my! I just love strawberry jam. Good on you for squeezing it in! :)

I made strawberry jam too and it was quite lovely.

http://genasgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/strawberries.html

[amandajean]

yum! i'll be right over. ;)

[Jamie]

So funny that you just posted this today. I spent the past two days searching through the archives of my favorite blogs for tips on making strawberry jam. Yours was the one that made the most sense to me. After strawberry picking yesterday, I made Freezer Jam today. Thanks so much for the tips and photos. It was super easy and I can't wait to try it. I'll be sure to give you credit when I blog about my experience in a day or so. (waiting to taste the finished jam!) Thank you for sharing!

[Joan]

Our Strawberries are nearly done. And although we didn't have enough to make jam with, I was pleased with our abundance of berries to eat. This was our very first harvest of our very own plants! We were very excited. I'll be planting more plants this year and hopefully next year we'll be able to harvest enough to make our very own strawberry jam! Thanks for sharing your jam making day with us! ;-)

[Suzanne]

I love seeing jars of jam cooling on the counter. There's something really satisfying about taking something from field to pantry!

[Rae]

I have got to try to make jam. It sounds so good on top of some toast mmmm. Glad you were able to make it.

[Natalie]

Fresh, homemade jam is absolutely divine! Lucky you to have a great berry patch so close to home!

[claire]

A great example of seizing the moment and what a result - the joy of homemade jam.

[Suzanne]

Yay for you!

[Ruth]

I love strawberry jam but have never made my own. I would love to give it a try. I will definitely have to put this on my to do list.

Ruth

[Indiana Lori]

Years of reading about your jam, and this year I was determined. My girls and I made 48 small jars of strawberry freezer jam. It's so GOOD! Thanks for sharing the inspiration!

[dorie]

Yes! Oh, how happy you'll be eating it months from now. Hope your wave of busy subsides soon.

[kala]

Yum, I really want to try making jam!

[Molly]

Isn't it funny how those spur of the moment, whimmish decisions are sometimes the best? I've never made jam, so I'm wildly impressed. Enjoy!

[erin]

Yay! I'm glad you did it. I used your jam recipe and advice from last year's post and made my first ever jam. I loved it and will be doing it again this year. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Erin]

i'm finding it hard to believe that you have never made jam! go! do it now!

[Linda]

Hooray for you! What good is a new kitchen if you can't do what you love to do in it! I say, the messier the happier!

[Kathleen]

So funny that I saw this post on my blogroll--I just posted about the same thing tonight! We picked them yesterday too, then made jam in the evening. Not 14lbs, mind you!